Best cheap laptops: We rate the best-sellers on Amazon and Best Buy | Tech Industry

When you’re looking for a good, cheap laptop, knowledge is power. Every budget machine (which we’re defining as Windows laptops costing $500 or less) is the product of compromise—corners carefully cut here and there to hit a price point.

Your job is to find the one that checks off the most boxes for your needs. We’ll show you what to look for by highlighting which budget laptops among the best-sellers currently listed at Amazon and Best Buy are worth buying. We haven’t necessarily tested these specific machines (we’ll let you know if we have), but we’ve seen enough similar ones to have a good idea of the pros and cons.

We’d like to highlight one particularly good deal right now via Best Buy: A Samsung laptop normally $650, discounted 25 percent to $488. This is a great deal, so check it out in the Best Buy section below.

Both retailers’ lists change constantly, so we’ll recheck the top sellers frequently to update you on the trends. Keep reading to learn about the features that matter for any budget laptop you’re eyeballing. (This article was updated October 24, 2018, with new picks.)

The best cheap laptops on Amazon

Aspire E 15 E5-576-392H

It’s clear why this one’s been on top for a long time—you get a fair amount for the money. (See our review of the latest model.) What’s nicest is the large, high-resolution display, a rarity in this price range, even if the brightness is mediocre. It’s also nice to see an 8th-generation CPU in this bargain box, rather than a leftover from a prior era. Add to that the large hard drive and the 10-key keypad, and there’s a lot to like.

It is very heavy, though.

An ease-of-use note: The DVD-RW drive takes up most of one side, crowding most of the ports onto the other side. This could become annoying if you’re trying to hook up a lot of devices at once.

Asus VivoBook F510UA

The Asus VivoBook F510UA caught our eye because you don’t normally see a laptop with specs this nice in the budget price range. (The official price is much higher.) The 1080p touchscreen is likely the lower-end of two options Asus offers (the other has a wide 178-degree viewing angle), but the resolution and touch capability are still good perks. The full 8GB of RAM is notable given that many budget laptops have just 4GB or 6GB.

The narrow bezels add refinement to the design and allow the large screen to fit into a slightly smaller chassis. The weight is reasonable. Despite the slender profile you still get a good helping of USB-C and USB-A ports, plus full HDMI. The only noteworthy thing missing compared to others in this price range is a 10-key numeric keypad.

Apple MacBook Air MJVM2LL (Certified Refurbished)

Apple may have officially killed the 11-inch MacBook Air in 2016, but it lives on in refurbished form, including this offering that hovers around $500 (the price bobs up and down).

The 11-inch MacBook Air offered an affordable thin-and-light laptop at a time when Windows competitors were far clunkier. Its 13-inch cousin remains popular. This refurbished model is older, and its features are modest, but if portability is a priority for you (and you’re a Mac fan), this is a good deal for basic computing. It can be upgraded to OS X High Sierra now and OS X Mojave when it comes out this fall.

CPU: 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5

Memory: 8GB of 1,600MHz LPDDR3 RAM

Storage: 128GB of flash storage

Display: 11.6-inch, 1366×768 LED

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 6000

Connectivity: Two USB 3.0 Type A, one Thunderbolt 2

Dimensions: 11.8 x 7.56 x 0.11-0.68 inches

Weight: 2.38 pounds

Dell I3565-A453BLK-PUS 15.6-inch Laptop

We understand some budgets are very, very tight, especially if you’re a student. But that doesn’t mean you should be stuck with a piece of junk.

The best spec is the display, a generous 15.6 inches diagonal, whereas other super-cheap laptops we’ve seen have smaller 11-inch or 14-inch screens. Here’s the tradeoff: The resolution is a minimal 1366×768.

All other major components, including the CPU (based on PassMark data) and integrated graphics, and RAM and hard drive, are adequate. It’s worth noting that this AMD CPU, while nothing special, is still better than some of the older, slower Intel CPUs we’ve seen on other bestsellers in this price range. Connectivity does not include the latest USB-C. But this is surprisingly decent bang for buck.

The best cheap laptops on Best Buy

HP 15-da0012dx

If you can afford $400 for a laptop, you graduate from lower-end, pedestrian CPUs to something with a little oomph, such as the Core i3-8130U in this budget model, with a good 8GB of RAM. It also offers great connectivity: Gigabit ethernet as well as Wi-Fi. This is a laptop you could take to school or have around the house, and it would cover the basics.

The other specs check off boxes, though barely. Storage is a bit skimpy, but at least it’s an SSD rather than a pokey hard drive. The display is a touchscreen, though lower-resolution, and the integrated graphics is adequate for mainstream productivity. Alas, there’s no USB-C.

330-15ARR 15.6″ Laptop

When you get closer to $300 in budget laptops, you have to keep a sharp eye out for compromises in features. What’s nice about this model is that you’re getting a 15.6-inch display (though at a basic resolution). The Ryzen mobile CPU and 8GB of RAM are a solid setup, and the 1TB hard drive is spacious, though slow.

The specs show two reasons why this laptop, though portable by definition, should stick close to home. For one, it’s very big and heavy. More to the point, the estimated battery life is an extremely short 4.5 hours. We don’t normally include estimated battery life because it’s such a moving target, but if this is the best spec the vendor can come up with, it’s safe to assume this can’t last long away from AC.

130-15AST

With the Lenovo 130-15AST it’s all about the display, which is a nice, roomy 15.6 inches at a head-turning price point. A bigger screen can help you forget it’s a budget laptop, and it sure comes in handy during an intensive study session or workday.

Everything else about this laptop is rock-bottom basic: The AMD A609225 CPU and 4GB of RAM, the Radeon R4 integrated graphics, the 500GB hard drive.

As with some other cheap laptops we’ve seen, the battery life could be disappointing. The vendor estimates just 5 hours, and your mileage could vary.

CPU: AMD A6-9225

Memory: 4GB DDR4 SDRAM

Storage: 500GB hard drive

Display: 15.6-inch, 1366×768 LED

Graphics: AMD Radeon R4

Connectivity: Two USB 3.0 Type A, HDMI, Gigabit ethernet. Wireless-AC

Dimensions: 14.8 x 10 x 0.9 inches

Weight: 4.63 pounds

HP Pavilion x360 14m-cd0001dx

We’ve seen other 360-degree convertible laptops in the budget range, but very few with a display as big as the 14-incher on this Pavilion x360. Screen real estate matters, so this is a worthy find even if the resolution, brightness, and viewing angle are just average.

It’s a deal in other ways as well: an 8th-generation Intel Core CPU for starters, and plenty of RAM. There’s a USB-C port. The system is compact and not too heavy.

The price is near the top of the budget range, but you’re getting good performance and versatility for the money.

Microsoft Surface Go (4GB/64GB)

You could argue the Surface Go is a tablet rather than a laptop, but once you add the optional keyboard it’s a nifty little productivity machine for an affordable price. It runs Windows 10 S, which gives you Windows productivity with a lighter touch so it doesn’t weigh down performance (but you are limited to Windows Store apps).

We reviewed the higher-end Surface Go with more memory and better storage, but that’s not budget. The entry-level model is just $400, and a $99 black Type Cover will have you squeaking in right at $500 total.

Memory: You’ll see 4GB or 6GB of RAM, but try for 8GB if you can, so you can run more applications or browser tabs simultaneously.

Storage: You’ll see a lot of hard drives and some lower-capacity SSDs. If you’re on a budget, a slow hard drive with greater capacity could be a better deal than a fast SSD that’s barely got room for the operating system and a few applications.

Display: Display quality is one area where vendors often skimp to hit a price point. Do your best to balance size with resolution. An HD resolution of 1366×768 suffices for an 11-inch or 13-inch display, but starts to look grainier (albeit still usable) on 14-inch displays and upward. You won’t always see a maximum brightness spec, but we consider 250 nits to be a reasonable level. Anything less will limit your ability to work in brighter environments (let alone outdoors). Viewing angles could be limited, which is tolerable unless you want to share your screen.

Graphics: Expect integrated graphics that will manage everyday imagery well, but not gaming or other graphics-intensive tasks.

Connectivity: Good news: The bulkier laptops you often see in this price range have plenty of room for ports. You should see USB-A ports, but note that those using the USB 2.0 spec are more limited in capability than those using the USB 3.0 spec. You might not see USB-C, full HDMI, or ethernet.

Dimensions and weight: Many cheaper laptops are larger, heavier models. Anything over 3.5 pounds may not be something you’ll want to carry past the living room.

Know what you want and shop smart

After seeing what’s popular among cheap laptops, you should have enough knowledge to shop for yourself. Keep in mind your priorities, whether it’s display size, storage capacity, weight or more, and you should be able to find a good deal.

This article was originally published November 14, 2017, by Gordon Mah Ung.

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